33. There is a long history of anti-Catholic

sentiment in this country, and this is just the latest manifestation of it. I hope you've read some of Skinner's responses in ATA and know that he doesn't agree with the bigots here. Papism has always been the heart of bigotry against Catholicism and it still is. Charges of papism were levied at JFK when he ran for president, and used to justify the Klan's burning crosses on the lawns of Catholics like my grandmother. Anti-Catholic views have a long history in this country and are a manifestation of racism, first against the Irish, who were not seen as white in the 19th century, and now Latinos. People always find reasons to justify their bigotry. That's what bigots do. But really like all forms of bigotry it's about ignorance and hatred. You'll notice that some of those most hateful of Catholics are also the most uneducated posters on the board, who know nothing about history and the people they so despise.

I completely understand how you feel. Even though I'm not a practicing Catholic, I come from a Catholic family. The idea that ignorant people would call my grandmother a "criminal" infuriates me. Like your family, she voted Catholic in every election since the passage of women's suffrage. The inability of some DUers to distinguish pedophiles and the church hierarchy from good, liberal Democratic Catholics is a function of their own limited understanding. Ironically, these same people steadfastly deny their own complicity in the actions of the US government, while blaming Catholics for something they have no control over. While I wish you would not leave, I certainly cannot deny that you have very good reasons for doing so. I will just add that when it comes to sexism or anti-Catholicism, I myself have decided that I will not let the bigots drive me away.